Sour Creamy Apple Pie takes 1st in Apple Recipe Contest

Brundi Crawford of Fletcher won the grand prize in the 2013 Apple Recipe
Contest for her Sour Creamy Apple Pie.

Patrick Sullivan/Times-News

Special to the Times-News

Published: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 1:44 p.m.

Brundi Crawford of Fletcher was the grand prize winner in the 2013 Apple Recipe Contest at the North Carolina Apple Festival, taking top honors for her Sour Creamy Apple Pie.

Crawford's creation was the first-place winner in the pies and pastries division. Other category winners were Jay Farris for his Gluten-Free Apple Cake in the gluten-free category; Linda Stowers, Apple Bran Muffins in the breads category; Susan Sneeringer, Ginger Gold French Apple Cake in the desserts category; and Merri Tyndall of Mountain Pie and Cake Co. in the professional category for Matrimony Pie.

The prize-winning recipes follow.

Sour Creamy Apple Pie

2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

¾ cup sugar

1 unbeaten egg

1 cup sour cream

1½ teaspoons pure Mexican vanilla

2 cups Jonagold or Honey Crisp apples (diced and peeled)

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

½ stick of butter, slightly softened (Do not use margarine)

Sift together the flour, nutmeg, salt and sugar. Add the egg and blend together. Then add the sour cream and vanilla. Add the apples and stir carefully. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 35 minutes.

About 10 minutes before pie is finished, combine the topping ingredients until they are crumbly. You can do this step with your fingers.

When pie is finished after the 35 minutes, pull it out and crumble the topping all over the top. Increase the oven to 425 and bake for 10 more minutes.

Remove pie from oven and let rest for about 30 minutes before serving. This will give it time to set up.

Bake until center of cake is set, toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 1¼ hours. Transfer pan to wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of pan and let cool completely 2 to 3 hours. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar. Cut into wedges and serve.

By Susan Sneeringer

Gluten-Free Apple Cakes

3½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

1 cup good applesauce

8 ounces (2 sticks) room temperature, unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

½ cup diced sweet apples

8 large egg whites at room temperature

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1/3 cup sugar

Topping:

1 pint whipping cream

1 medium peeled sweet apple, sliced

½ cup pecan pieces

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two loaf pans and place parchment paper in the bottom.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the milk, applesauce and vanilla.

Add one-third of the dry ingredients and alternate with one-third of the wet ingredients until all are combined. Set aside.

Beat egg whites with the whisk attachment in the mixer. Add the cream of tartar. Continue mixing until the egg whites are fluffy. Add the sugar and mix until soft peaks appear.

Fold the egg whites into the cake batter at intervals of thirds.

Pour into the loaf pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from pans to cool. Refrigerate the cakes.

Whip one pint of whipping cream with mixer using whisk attachment. When the cream is clearly getting stiffer, add sugar and whip until soft peaks appear.

Top the cakes with the whipped cream mixture. Garnish with apple slices and chopped pecans. Serve immediately.

Heat milk in microwave until just warm and pour over All-Bran in large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Stir and combine thoroughly. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 23 minutes. Let muffins sit in pan for 5 minutes before removing to rack to cool. Eat when warm or freeze.

By Linda Stowers

Matrimony Pie

3 cups Granny Smith apples, pared and sliced

2 cups firm pears, pared and sliced

2 cups halved and seeded muscadine or purple grapes

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 tablespoons all- purpose flour

Dash of salt

½ teaspoon grated lemon rind

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Crust for two-crust pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix apples, pears and grapes with lemon juice.

In a small bowl, mix sugar, flour, salt, lemon rind, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Toss lightly.

Place bottom crust in pie pan; add filling. Cover with top crust, then crimp. May be trimmed with a pie crust braid. If using a solid top crust, pierce to vent steam.

Bake 50 minutes or until brown.

Merri Tyndall

More apple recipes to try at home

From staff reports

Merri Tyndall and the staff at Mountain Pie and Cake Co. on Asheville Highway in Hendersonville developed the following recipes for the 2013 Apple Recipe Contest. Though they did not take home blue ribbons, Tyndall wants to share them with readers.

"We loved the Caramel Apple Pecan cookies and the apple bread," Tyndall said in an email.

Apple Hand-Me-Downs

Second prize winner in the professional category, 2013 Apple Recipe Contest

Sweet crust

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Sift flour and salt together and set aside.

Place the butter in mixing bowl and beat until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Don't over mix or butter will separate and lighten in color.

Add flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Don't overwork or pastry will be tough when baked.

Dough will be sticky. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Apple filling

2 cups finely chopped Fuji apples

1 tablespoon corn starch

½ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoon lemon juice

Dash of salt

Peel and chop apples, add remaining ingredients and place in a microwavable bowl. Cook four minutes in the microwave until thickened. Set aside.

Assembly instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare apple filling, then roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness.

Cut dough with large shaped cookie cutter 3 to 4 inches in size. We use a large heart.

With finger or brush, wet edges with water or egg white.

Spoon a bit of filling into each cookie, being careful not to touch edges.

Place second, identical shape on top and press lightly.

Using a fork, crimp edges all of the way around.

Brush tops with egg white (using a brush) and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is lightly browned.

After cookies cool, drizzle with icing made with 1 cup powdered sugar thinned with 3 tablespoons of milk and beaten well.

Recipe may be halved. Yield depends on size of cookie cutter.

By Tonja Gentry

Caramel Apple Pecan Cookies

1 cup butter

2 2/3 cups brown sugar

1 egg

¼ cup milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups chopped pecans

2 cups finely diced Fuji apples

2 cups raisins

Glaze

1 bottle Smucker's caramel ice cream topping

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and milk and mix well. Set aside.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 40 minutes.

Yield: Two loaves.

By William Tyndall

Fresh Apple Pecan Cake

1½ cups butter

2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon allspice

2 cup chopped pecans

3 cups peeled and chopped Fuji apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Sift all dry ingredients and add to first mixture.

Add pecans and apples, reserving a few for top decor. Pour into oiled tube pan.

Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes until a knife comes out clean.

Cool in the pan about 30 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Watch your oven. Uneven oven temperatures can ruin your cake.

Glaze

Makes about 1 cup of frosting

1 cup confectioner's or powdered sugar

2-6 tablespoons milk or other liquid

½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Measure the sugar into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and the extract. Stir until it forms a thick, creamy paste. Pour over the top and let it run down the sides.

Place whole pecans on top in a decorative pattern.

By Merri Tyndall

Louisiana Brown Butter Apple Pecan Pie

One prepared pie crust

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups chopped Fuji apples

Using a saucepan or shiny skillet (so you can see the color change), melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, watching the butter carefully. In 2 to 4 minutes, the butter will turn a dark golden brown. Pour it into a bowl and let it cool. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix well to blend. Add the browned butter and whisk again until evenly combined. Place the apples in the pie crust, then the pecans and pour in the filling.

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes until the pie is set in the middle.